Where did the world come from?
I think in the beginning of time, God created all living things with his own power.
Why is there evil?
I believe that evil will always persist because of us humans with evil and hatred in our hearts, who make the choice to do evil things. God cannot influence other people's decisions, because it is we who have the physical power to commit the deed. For example, if someone decided to murder someone, it is he who holds the action, and not God.
What happens after we die?
I believe that after we die, there are only two places we can end up. If we follow the ten commandments and live like the Bible says so, we would end up in heaven, if we didn't, we would end up in hell.
How should we live?
We should live happily and be joyful, love one another, and try our hardest not to commit sin.
Me: How do you fulfill your union with God?
Guru: Well, I practice four different kinds of yoga daily. Sometimes I do Hatha, which is exercise of the body and helps me stay fit. I also do raja, which allows me to meditate and pray to communicate with Brahman. I also study the Vedas, which are sacred scriptures brought by the Aryans in oral form. Lastly I do karma yoga, which is community service to help out people in need of food, protection, and love.
Me: Why do you think there is so much suffering in the world?
Guru: As you should know, bad actions lead to bad karma. Sometimes this is the case, but even people who have done mostly good actions run into bad karma every once in a while.
Me: My grandfather is severely sick and he is afraid to die. Can you give him any words of advice?
Guru: Although his personality, and physical attributes (jiva) are going to die. His never-changing soul (atman) will still go on. If he follows his dharma and has good karma, he will re-incarnate in to a higher caste or even reach moksha! There is one thing he must always remember: this natural world we are living in is just an illusion. We cannot fear dying because, in the end, Brahman is the only Ultimate Reality and our primary goal is to get to him.
Over the weekend, I have attempted to be mindful for at least five minutes and I found it very interesting. The first time I did it, I found it very relaxing and soothing to my mind. It was very relaxing because I had turned off the lights and eliminated all the sounds from my room. During the five minutes, the song "Solitaire" by Marina and the Diamonds crept into my head, then slowly crept away. The song was very soothing and calming, so, it helped a little in the mindfulness process. Apart from that, no thoughts really permeated my head, which made the five minutes more enjoyable. The last two times I tried it, it got harder and harder to be mindful. Since it was really late, I kept slipping in and out of sleep mode. Random thoughts, which I can't remember, also entered my head. They were like scrambled dreams which didn't make sense at all. Overall, I felt much more mindful the first time because I was fully focused and concentrated on what I was doing. I will definitely try being mindful again, so that I can be more peaceful during the day.
I think the ten commandments are perfect they already are. While someone might disagree with the first commandment, I think it is right and moral not to let his people bow down to other gods except for him. If their God brought them out of slavery in Egypt, his people shouldn't put their faith in other gods who can't do anything for them. Overall, I do not see anything in the ten commandments that should be changed. That is because God, who brought them out of Egypt, can do anything for them; and if they follow his rules he will always guide and protect them.
Out of the three parables, the prodigal son was the one that stuck out to me the most. The younger son took the money his dad gave to him and squandered it carelessly. He took everything for granted and in time of great need, he had nothing. Being a student at Berkeley, I hear students everyday complaining about the littlest things. From having too big of a house, to not having the latest iPhone model. When I went to the Dominican Republic in February, I saw a lot of poverty. When we went to our sister our school in the village of Bonao, all of the kids that went there were said to have lived in the impoverished areas in the village. At the school, all the little kids were cheerful and happy, not complaining about something they didn't have. It amazed me that even with the little they had, they are still happy and cheerful. It taught me not to complain about what we don't have and appreciate what we do.
No, I do not think the misconceptions about Islam in America are fair. They aren't because they are making a totally serious judgment on a large group of people for the fault of a few. This is called ignorance. Us Americans need to know that Islam is a truly peaceful religion. The people who commit terrorist acts against society are not true Muslims, because a true one would not terrorize innocent people. Unfortunately, this growing problem of ignorance cannot be solved. People are always going to assume and make horrifying stereotypes about Muslims. What people can do to solve this is having them stay over at an average Muslim's house over a period of time to see what their life is really like. The only way to truly understand people is to see things from their own point of view.
I think in the beginning of time, God created all living things with his own power.
Why is there evil?
I believe that evil will always persist because of us humans with evil and hatred in our hearts, who make the choice to do evil things. God cannot influence other people's decisions, because it is we who have the physical power to commit the deed. For example, if someone decided to murder someone, it is he who holds the action, and not God.
What happens after we die?
I believe that after we die, there are only two places we can end up. If we follow the ten commandments and live like the Bible says so, we would end up in heaven, if we didn't, we would end up in hell.
How should we live?
We should live happily and be joyful, love one another, and try our hardest not to commit sin.
Me: How do you fulfill your union with God?
Guru: Well, I practice four different kinds of yoga daily. Sometimes I do Hatha, which is exercise of the body and helps me stay fit. I also do raja, which allows me to meditate and pray to communicate with Brahman. I also study the Vedas, which are sacred scriptures brought by the Aryans in oral form. Lastly I do karma yoga, which is community service to help out people in need of food, protection, and love.
Me: Why do you think there is so much suffering in the world?
Guru: As you should know, bad actions lead to bad karma. Sometimes this is the case, but even people who have done mostly good actions run into bad karma every once in a while.
Me: My grandfather is severely sick and he is afraid to die. Can you give him any words of advice?
Guru: Although his personality, and physical attributes (jiva) are going to die. His never-changing soul (atman) will still go on. If he follows his dharma and has good karma, he will re-incarnate in to a higher caste or even reach moksha! There is one thing he must always remember: this natural world we are living in is just an illusion. We cannot fear dying because, in the end, Brahman is the only Ultimate Reality and our primary goal is to get to him.
Over the weekend, I have attempted to be mindful for at least five minutes and I found it very interesting. The first time I did it, I found it very relaxing and soothing to my mind. It was very relaxing because I had turned off the lights and eliminated all the sounds from my room. During the five minutes, the song "Solitaire" by Marina and the Diamonds crept into my head, then slowly crept away. The song was very soothing and calming, so, it helped a little in the mindfulness process. Apart from that, no thoughts really permeated my head, which made the five minutes more enjoyable. The last two times I tried it, it got harder and harder to be mindful. Since it was really late, I kept slipping in and out of sleep mode. Random thoughts, which I can't remember, also entered my head. They were like scrambled dreams which didn't make sense at all. Overall, I felt much more mindful the first time because I was fully focused and concentrated on what I was doing. I will definitely try being mindful again, so that I can be more peaceful during the day.
I think the ten commandments are perfect they already are. While someone might disagree with the first commandment, I think it is right and moral not to let his people bow down to other gods except for him. If their God brought them out of slavery in Egypt, his people shouldn't put their faith in other gods who can't do anything for them. Overall, I do not see anything in the ten commandments that should be changed. That is because God, who brought them out of Egypt, can do anything for them; and if they follow his rules he will always guide and protect them.
Out of the three parables, the prodigal son was the one that stuck out to me the most. The younger son took the money his dad gave to him and squandered it carelessly. He took everything for granted and in time of great need, he had nothing. Being a student at Berkeley, I hear students everyday complaining about the littlest things. From having too big of a house, to not having the latest iPhone model. When I went to the Dominican Republic in February, I saw a lot of poverty. When we went to our sister our school in the village of Bonao, all of the kids that went there were said to have lived in the impoverished areas in the village. At the school, all the little kids were cheerful and happy, not complaining about something they didn't have. It amazed me that even with the little they had, they are still happy and cheerful. It taught me not to complain about what we don't have and appreciate what we do.
No, I do not think the misconceptions about Islam in America are fair. They aren't because they are making a totally serious judgment on a large group of people for the fault of a few. This is called ignorance. Us Americans need to know that Islam is a truly peaceful religion. The people who commit terrorist acts against society are not true Muslims, because a true one would not terrorize innocent people. Unfortunately, this growing problem of ignorance cannot be solved. People are always going to assume and make horrifying stereotypes about Muslims. What people can do to solve this is having them stay over at an average Muslim's house over a period of time to see what their life is really like. The only way to truly understand people is to see things from their own point of view.